On The Contrary
by CaptainWednesday
Summary: Claire had finally settled into her new life. Everything was easy and going right for her. Enter the new boy on the scene. He's clumsy, smart, and the last thing she expected. ClairexLouis


After seeing myself in overalls day after day, the dress looked odd. It was a lemon yellow with a light pink band around the waist. It didn't feel right.

The heels felt even weirder. It took me ten minutes to figure out how to put the damn things on, then fifteen more to actually get them on. Damn strappy shoes.

Okay, so prissy dress, check. Annoying strappy shoes, check. Hair? I couldn't just wear my hair in a ponytail! I hadn't worn my hair down for months.

Okay, okay. Brush. Where'd the brush go? I rampaged through the house ripping out every drawer and looking in every place I could think off. After I looked through every remote spot in the house I sat down on my bed, defeated.

I propped my elbows up on my knees and groaned. I had to go to the race! I can't let something as silly as hair stop me!

Just then a thought dawned on me. I quickly shuffled off the bed and got down on my stomach. Aha! The brush was under the bed.

I stretched my arm underneath and reached for it. Damn, if only my arms were a little longer. Got it! Ow, I popped my back.

I leaped to my feet and ran to the mirror. I yanked the rubber band out of my hair, resisted the urge to scream and ran the brush through my tangles as fast as I could. My eyes watered, but I finally got all the tangles out. I fluffed my hair a little, dusted off my dress, and ran out the door.

As soon as I reached the pavement, I slowed down. As I neared Rose Square, I could see the clusters of townspeople showing off their new clothes and gossiping about the latest news.

The sun was shining down hard, so I shaded my eyes as I looked for a friendly face to hang out with.

Ah, there she was. Her red hair was unruly and sticking out in every direction. She waved her arms at me and signaled for me to come closer.

"Hey Ann," I waved when I approached her.

"I'm so glad you're here! I feel so awkward in this dress, how about you?" she quickly replied almost vibrating with excitement.

Ann was always one to speak her mind.

"Yeah, I had a little trouble getting ready this morning." I reached out my arm and smoothed her hair for her.

"Argh, I hate my hair. Thanks"

We heard the screeching of a microphone and a sharp cough.

"Ahem, welcome everybody. I'm so glad all of you couldmake it. We have some new technology that will assist us in this year's festivities," the mayor exclaimed as he tapped the microphone.

It made a loud screech and we all covered our ears and groaned.

"Ahem, sorry about that, we're still learning how to use it. Anyway, the schedule for the day is as follows: the morning horse race, the chicken races, a light brunch, then two afternoon races. We will end the day with a light refreshment and a declaration of the scores."

Everyone cheered and started chatting again.

"Ahem, if you are entering your horse in the race, please retrieve it from the post and warm it up in the ring." The mayor continued, then turned the sound system off.

I was surprised at how much noise could be produced from such a small group.

Everybody was super excited. Today was one of the biggest days of the year. People closed up shop and got dressed in their Sunday best for today. Now, that was saying something, considering that pretty much everyone wore work clothes every day.

Also, there was just something magic about watching the horses. The way they streaked across the field, making the wind pick up and sweep your hair back.

The way their owners cared for them and worked so hard to win, but even harder to keep their horse happy and healthy.

There was a true bond between them. My thoughts drifted to the awkward colt sleeping in my barn. Maybe someday I could enter him in the horse races…

"Hey! It's time for the chicken races!" Ann immediately woke me from my thoughts.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me along to the pen.

"I love the chicken races, they make me laugh so hard!" Ann was clearly excited. I personally couldn't care less. The chickens looked so awkward and were slow. I usually spent this time to talk to the other folks in town. "Hey, Ann, I'm going," I said and walked away.

I approached Elli and the Doctor.

"Hey, what's up?" I casually asked.

"Oh, the usual. We're kept busy in the office. Me working on the computer, Alex giving check-ups and stuff." Elli seemed cheerful with her arm looped through the Doctor's.

He seemed annoyed by Elli's answer and briefly replied, "I'm fine, thank you."

I took this as my cue to leave and said goodbye.

I walked over to Cliff, in the corner away from everyone else as usual. He had his arms crossed and seemed bored.

"Hey Cliff. How are you?" I questioned.

"I'm fine. These fancy events aren't really for me," He tugged at his collar. His suit was wrinkled and appeared old. Well, what did you expect?

"Yeah, I don't like getting dressed up either," We both chuckled then I said goodbye.

I walked back over to Ann. "Hey, you know Cliff is over there by himself," I elbowed her and she turned bright red.

"Sh-should I go talk to him?" She stuttered.

"Yeah! You guys are really alike, you know," You could tell she was really nervous, "Go for it!"

Ann slowly walked away from me. She was wringing her wrists behind her back. I felt bad for her, she could really get worked up about things.

The chicken races ended and everyone started gathering around the food line. Most of the food was made by Ann and her dad, but some other folks brought along some dishes too.

I glanced over at Ann and Cliff. They seemed to be having a very animated conversation and didn't even notice it was time to eat.

Eventually, I got up to the food in the line. There was pancakes, broiled chicken, spaghetti with meat sauce, lima beans with bacon, and a ton of other yummy things.

I got a little of everything, but loaded up on the chicken and ham casserole. Ah, it smelled so good. I laughed quietly as I thought back a few weeks. I had begged Ann to make the casserole for the festival. She had made sure there was a lot for me.

Most of the tables were already filled up, but I noticed an empty seat with Mary and Gray. They weren't the most talkative of people, but they would do.

"Hey, can I sit here?" I pointed to the seat with my free hand.

"Uh, yeah, sure," replied Gray softly.

I sat down and started to eat. The chicken and ham casserole was so good.

Ann came back and sat down with us. She seemed in a good mood, so I guessed it went well.

"So, how did it go?" I stepped on her foot as I asked.

"Gah, it went fine, nosy," She tried to appear annoyed, but it didn't work well with he smile and cherry red face.

"Did you grab one of Karen's cupcakes? They look yummy." I asked her and started pulling the paper off of one.

"I would never try anything of Karen's," She stuck out her tongue and made gagging sounds.

"Why not?" I took a bite of the cupcake,

I fell into a coughing fit and spit out my bite into the paper wrapper. Ann handed me my drink and I gulped it down.

"I thought they were chocolate!" I managed to gasp out. What the hell was in those things?

Ann couldn't help but laugh. " No, they're just burned."

"From now on, I'm listening to you," I started laughing too.

The microphone turned on again, " Ahem, I'm glad to see you enjoyed your brunch. If you have a horse you're entering in the afternoon race, please go get it and warm it up in the ring. Thank you."

Ann and I got up from the table and walked over to watch the horses get warmed up.

When they started lining up at the start line, everyone gathered around.

It was time for the race to begin.

* * *

**So, how did you like it? Pretty good, eh? Or a worthless piece of crap? Feel free to leave your opinion, but please don't be too harsh on me. There might be a few grammar mistakes scattered here and there. Well, hope I didn't waste too much of your time. **

**Love,**

**Captain Wednesday**


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